Submarine mask for a diver



Jill!! 28, 1970 roMuu HAsHlMoTo ET Al- 3,521,626

SUBMARINE MASK FOR A DIVER 4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Feb. 15, 1968 TOMIIU l Hl-)SP-HNWTD Aub FUKUSBRO TOKORDYAMA July 23, 1970 ToMlJu HAsHlMoTo ETAI- 3,521,626

SUBMRINE MASK FOR A DIVER 4 Sheets-Sheet Filed Feb. 13, 1968 rompu HAsHmnro m FuKusABuRo TooRovAMA BMU MDM July 28, 1970 ToMlJu HAsHlMoTo ETAI- 3,521,626

SUBMARINE MASK FOR A DIVER Filed Feb. 15, 196s 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Tom-Ulu HAsmMol-o m Fumsnno ToKonovAm July 28, 1970 roMlJu HAsHlMoTo ET Al- SUBMARINE MASK FOR A DIVER 4 Sheets-Sheet L Filed Feb. 15, 1968 TDM u' \-lAsH\Moro n. FUKUSABU kb TDKORAYAMA United States Patent O 3,521,626 SUBMARINE MASK FOR A DIVER Tomiju Hashimoto and Fukusaburo Tokoroyama, Tokyo, Japan, assignors to Shimada Rika Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo, Japan Filed Feb. 13, 1968, Ser. No. 705,051 Claims priority, application Japan, Feb. 23, 1967, l2/14,517; Oct. 9, 1967, Ll2/85,701, 42/85,702 Int. Cl. A62b 7/02 U.S. Cl. 12S-142 8 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A submarine mask for a diver comprising a mask proper covering the nose and/or mouth of the diver, in which inhalant air is supplied from an air bomb through a pressure regulator and exhalant air is discharged through an exhalant device in the mask. The eX- halant device comprises an exhalant tube, a non-return valve normally adapted to be closed by restorative character of an elastic plate, and an exhalant valve connected to the open end of said exhalant tube and consisting of a normally closed at bag made of rubber and provided with a plurality of small perforations in the vicinity of its ,closed end portion. Discharge into water of the exhalant air is effected through the plurality of small perforations upon ination of the fiat bag valve.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved submarine mask for a diver, wherein the diver wearing the mask may make a telephone call with an uninfluenced clear voice.

Numerous other objects and advantages will be more apparent from the following detailed description when considered in connetcion with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the mask according to the present invention as worn by a diver;

FIG. 2 is a side view partly in vertical section of the mask shown in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a pressure regulator employed in the mask, and shown on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the top portion of said pressure regulator;

FIG. 5 is a section taken along line V-V of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a front view of a modified form of the mask according to the invention as worn by the diver;

FIG. 7 is a partial vertical section of the mask shown in FIG. 6, the section being shown on a somewhat enlarged scale;

FIG. 8 is a detailas seen from the right of FIG. 7 as l shown by arrow line VIII--VIII of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view of a breathing eX- halant valve provided in an outlet pipe for exhalation of air from the nose;

FIG. l() is a front view of another modied form of the mask according to this invention as worn by the diver;

FIG. ll is a side view partly in vertical section of the mask shown in FIG. 10; and

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the pressure regulator shown in FIG. 10, showing the construction of the interior thereof.

Referring to the drawing, FIGS. 1 and 2, the reference numeral 1 designates a diver wearing the mask according to the present invention, and 2 is a throat microphone carried by the diver. A mask 3 of a size sufficient to cover the face of the diver has a transparent glass 4 which is reinforced and firmly held along the peripheral edge by means of a metal clamp 5. The surrounding portion of the mask 3 is preferably made of thin rubber,

3,521,626 Patented July 28, 1970 ICC particularly of anti-brine chloroprene rubber having appropriate hardness. 3a is a horizontal extension projecting inwardly from the mask proper and forming a partition wall disposed at the position just beneath the nose of the wearer. By said partition wall 3a the interior of the mask is divided in an air-tight and water-tight manner into an upper space or section 6 including the eyes and the nose of the wearer and a lower space or section 6 including the Wearers mouth. 7 is a pressure regulator adapted for regulating air supplied from a cylinder (not shown) carried by the wearer through an air hose 8.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the pressure regulator 7 comprises a casing 11 including a regulating cylinder 10 having an actuator 9, and a presser 12 (FIG. 4) protruding from a cover 13 which is secured to the casing 11 by means of a clamp 14. An air duct 15 (FIG. 2) projecting from the bottom of the casing 11 is in communication with the lower space 6 of the mask. A nipple 10a (FIG. 3) connected to the regulating cylinder 10 is secured to the casing 11, and the projecting outer end thereof is connected to the air hose 8. 12 is a press button having an actuator plate 12a at its lower end (FIG. 4), which is secured to a diaphragm 16 so as to be held water-tight, said plate 12a being manipulated or acted upon by a variation of water pressure to press down the actuator 9 of the regulating cylinder 10 against the section of a spring 17. When the actuator 9 is pressed, the regulating cylinder 10 will feed air through a small hole 10b formed therein into a low pressure chamber 18 confined by the casing 11 and the cover 13, the breathing inhalant air being fed under suitable pressure to allow the divers breathing.

19 is an exhalant tube for exhausting exhalant air of the diver. At the mid portion, said exhalant tube 19 is provided with small holes 19a, and three sector holes 11a are perforated in the bottom of the casing 11, leaving a spider 11b as shown in F-IG. 3. Said exhalant tube 19 is xedly mounted to the bottom of the casing 11 by means of screws 20 (FIG. 5). The sector holes 11a are normally closed by a non-return valve 22 which is made of rubber and its peripheral edge portion is in engagement with the outer side of the bottom of the casing 11, with a central pin 22a inserted into a central hole in the spider 11b. The non-return valve 22 is held normally closed by virtue of the elastic restoring force of the exible rubber thereof, and it is opened by the pressure of the exhalant air of breathing of the diver to provide communication of the low pressure chamber 18 with the exhalant tube 19. The closed end portions of the rubber flat bags 23 and 23 are provided with a plurality of small perforations 23a and 23a respectively, whereby should the pressure in the exhalant tube 19 be increased the flat bags 23 and 23 will be automatically inated, so that the exh'alant air is exhausted through the penforations 23a and 23'a. The eXhalant valve, i.e. the flat bags 23 and 23', are normally kept flat by virtue of their elastic restorative character and by water pressure surrounding the same.

In conventional divers masks, both ends of the exhalant tube are fully open, and the non-return valve is normally subjected directly to water pressure, so that the exhalant air through the divers mouth is intermittently exhausted through .the non-return valve. Hence, during telephone calls the divers vocal chords will be subjected to back pressure, making his voice vibrate, thereby influencing particularly vowel sounds. In contradistinction to such conventional divers masks, according to the present invention the exhalant tube has non-return valves, each consisting of a flat bag having a plurality of small perforations, and the exhalent air via the exhalent tube is continuously exhausted through said plurality of small perforations, so that the divers vocal chords will not be 3 subjected to any substantial back pressure, whereby maintaining a high degree of clarity of voice.

While the above mentioned embodiment of the invention shown in FTGS. 1 to 5 is described as a mask for dealing with exhalant air coming from the divers mouth, the invention may also be applied to a mask for dealing with exhalant air coming from the divers nose, with the exhalant device arranged in the upper space 6 covering the divers nose and eyes.

Referring to the modiiied embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, 24 is an exhalant box for breathing through the nose. This exhalant box 24 is made of rubber and is airtightly secured to and disposed beneath the transparent glass 4 in the vicinity of the tip of the divers nose and in communication with the upper space 6 covering the divers eyes and nose. A non-return valve 25 cloes an inner opening of the exhalant box 24 connecting7 the interior thereof with the upper space 6. 26 is an exhalant valve normally preventing introduction of water into the exhalant box 24. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the nonreturn valve 25 comprises a support plate 28 having three sector openings 27 and a spider 27a which has a central hole 28a, and a rubber plate 29 having a pin 29a inserted into said hole 28a, said rubber plate 29 being adapted to close the openings 27 by virtue of its restorative character. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the exhalant valve 26 consists of a boss 30 having a ilat bag 31 made of thin rubber sheet having a plurality of small perforations 31a, the said boss 30 being mounted to the outer open end of the exhalant box 24. This exhalant valve 26 made of a flat rubber bag is normally held in the flat shape by its restorative character, with the inner walls thereof in contact with each other, thereby preventing any introduction of water thereinto. When said valve is inflated by the exhalant air of breathing through the nose, the exhalant air is exhausted into the water through the perforations 31a. As the space 6 surrounding the nose is in communication with said non-return valve 25 and the exhalant valve 26, any nasal effects in telephone conversation due to stuffy breathing may be prevented. Moreover, as the non-return valve 25 is not in direct contact with water and the exhalant valve is adapted to discharge the breathing exhalant into the water, improved clarity of voice during telephone conversations may be obtained.

FIGS. to 12 show a modified embodiment of this invention. Referring to these figures, a branch nipple 19b is soldered to the mid portion of the exhalant tube 19, to which nipple there is securely mounted a reservoir bag 32 having a watermouth 32a. Should there occur any percolation of water through the exhalant valve, water will collect in the reservoir bag, and there will not be any danger of wetting the non-return valve, so that any drawback of inuencing the telephone call voice clarity. During diving for a long period of time, there might occur gradual percolation of water through the small perforations forming the exhalant valve, and the provision of said reservoir bag 32 will substantially prevent wetting of the non-return valve. When the reservoir bag 32 becomes full of water, it may be manually squeezed by divers hand, thereby discharging water out of the reservoir through the small perforations 23a and 23a.

Although in the described embodiments the mask covers the whole face of the diver and the pressure regulator is provided in the lower section of the mask, it will be understood that the mask may comprise a single section covering the mouth only of the diver or covering the nose aswell as the mouth of the diver, and provided with the pressure regulator.

What we claim is:

1. A divers mask wherein the mask interior is divided into an upper nose receiving space and a lower mouth receiving space, and including breathing exhalent discharge device connected to said mask interior, the improvement wherein said discharge device comprises duct means communicating with said mask interior through a non-return valve means for preventing water from entering said mask, said duct means consisting of a thin rubber bag means in the form of a substantially flat double-walled sheet having two sides in contact with each other and connected along the peripheral edges thereof, the walls having a plurality of perforations therethrough for discharging exhalent air upon inflation of said at bag means.

2. A divers mask as claimed in claim 1 wherein said duct means comprises two rubber ba-g means.

3. A divers mask as claimed in claim 1, wherein said duct means communicates with said mask interior at said upper nose receiving space.

4. A divers mask as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a water reservoir bag made of flexible material and connected to said duct means.

5. A divers mask 'wherein the mask interior is divided into an upper nose receiving space and a lower mouth receiving space, said mask comprising a casing mounted thereon and including a pressure regulator, a non-return valve integral with said casing, a breathing exhalent discharge duct means communicating with said mask interior through said non-return valve for preventing water from entering said mask, said exhalent duct means consisting of a thin rubber bag means in the form of a substantially fiat double-walled sheet having two sides in contact with each other and connected along the peripheral edges thereof, the walls having a plurality of perforations therethrough for discharging exhalent air upon inflation of said flat bag means.

6. A divers mask as claimed in claim 5, wherein said duct means comprises two rubber bag means.

7. A divers mask as claimed in claim 5, wherein said duct means communicates with said mask interior at said upper nose receiving space.

8. A divers mask as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a water reservoir bag made of flexible material and connected to said duct means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 25,122 2/1962 Page 128-147 603,941 5/1898 Cartwright 137-525 2,882,895 4/1959 Galeazzi 128-142 2,897,817 8/1959 Marinc 12S- 142.2

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner J. B. MITCHELL, Assistant Examiner 

